The Justice Department is on the hunt for volunteers to assist with the redaction of additional Epstein-related documents in the coming days. This development was revealed through an internal email from a supervising prosecutor, addressing the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. The email, which CNN reviewed, highlights an urgent call from the DOJ for help with “remote document review and redactions” pertaining to the Epstein files. This suggests a major release of documents regarding Jeffrey Epstein may occur during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In the email sent on Tuesday, the official acknowledged the inconvenient timing of the request, noting, “I am aware that the timing could not be worse.” The message to career prosecutors mentioned that while some people are beginning their holiday celebrations, others are wrapping them up. The supervising prosecutor emphasized the DOJ’s responsibility to make these files public but noted that sensitive information, like victim identities, requires careful redaction. Although a significant number of Epstein-related files have already been released, many more are expected to be disclosed, with officials pointing out that hundreds of thousands of documents are slated for release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Previously released files by the DOJ faced issues with improper redaction, as reported by the New York Times. Savvy individuals discovered a method to uncover concealed information by copying and pasting the blacked-out text into word processing software. This oversight exposed names and entities that were initially withheld, along with further details about Epstein’s alleged misconduct and financial concealment strategies, which the Daily Mail chose not to disclose. The redactions that were bypassed were applied by various courts before the documents were handed over to the DOJ and published. However, files redacted by the DOJ and FBI remained secure from such breaches.

The Justice Department released its biggest Epstein dump yet on Tuesday,including nearly 30,000 more pages of files. The files included news clippings, varied tips to law enforcement and surveillance videos from the New York jail where Epstein was held before taking his own life in 2019. Much was already in the public domain. The Epstein Files Transparency Act called for the files to be released within 30 days, but the Justice Department has instead released them in stages starting Friday. Officials have said they’re going slowly to protect victims, though some women assaulted by Epstein have spoken out publicly to call for greater transparency. At least one victim has called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment over the handling on the files while bipartisan lawmakers have threatened to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in content of Congress.

Trump tried for months to keep the records sealed before relenting to political pressure, including from some fellow Republicans, though he eventually signed a bill mandating the release of most of the DOJ’s files on Epstein. Trump was named in several Epstein files released Tuesday, but the DOJ said that all the allegations against him were determined to be ‘unfounded and false.’ The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing concerning Epstein. Trump has complained that the files were a distraction from the work he and other Republicans are doing for the country.

Speaking during an unrelated event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday, Trump blamed Democrats and some Republicans for the controversy. ‘What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,’ he said. He also expressed frustration about the famous people shown with Epstein in photos released by the Justice Department – people who he said may not have known him but ended up in the shot anyway. ‘You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago. And they´re, you know, highly respected bankers and lawyers and others,’ Trump said.

Well-known people shown in the files include former President Bill Clinton, the late pop star Michael Jacksonand singer Diana Ross. The mere inclusion of someone’s name or images in files from the investigation does not imply wrongdoing. The Trump administration is also facing fierce accusations that it is withholding too much information and ‘protecting’ Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators as newly released documents suggest at least 10 others were involved in his child [sexual] trafficking ring. The damning evidence – included in Tuesday’s trove of files – of Epstein’s alleged accomplices came to light in an email that was sent between federal investigators trying to contact around 10 ‘co-conspirators’ after the late [child predator’s] arrest in 2019.

The email, which was shared online by Miami Herald reporter Julie K Brown, was sent just one day after federal agents arrested Epstein on [sexual] trafficking charges and raided his Manhattan home. All of the names included in the email were redacted except for three. The first two were Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of [sexual] trafficking and other charges in 2021; and Jean-Luc Brunel, a former French modeling agent who was found dead in his Paris jail cell in 2022 and was suspected of scouting girls for Epstein. The third was retail magnate Leslie Wexner, who was a major benefactor for Epstein until he severed ties with the financier in 2007 amid his indictment in Florida. But lawyers for the former Victoria Secret CEO told BBC Newsthat ‘the assistant US attorney in charge of the Epstein investigation stated at the time that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target.

‘Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again,’ the attorneys claimed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the tens of thousands of files released still left ‘more questions than answers.’ He pointed to a 2019 FBI email that mentions 10 people under investigation as possible co-conspirators but contains few additional details. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has defended the DOJ’s process and redactions, saying in a statement last week: ‘The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law — full stop.’